Wisdom of the Elders

K–12 Curriculum

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Grades 4 – 6 Language Arts: Honoring Warm Springs


All the Cultural material on this website is the property of the individual Artist and/or the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and may not be used for any purposes. The Cultural and Intellectual property of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs includes the traditional practices, knowledge and ways of life unique to the people of the Confederated Tribes and includes, but not limited to: photos, songs, legends, stories, language, art, oral tradition and ceremony

Overview

This lesson plan is comprised of five lessons which include activities to enhance the standards of literature, writing, speaking, listening and reading.

Lesson 1: The Importance of the Land
Lesson 2: Trade among the Columbia River People
Lesson 3: European Contact and the Impact on Tribal Life
Lesson 4: Retaining Traditions
Lesson 5: Remembering the Ancestors

BASED UPON WISDOM OF THE ELDERS RADIO: SERIES 3, PROGRAM 6

Lesson plan written by Esther Stutzman

Historical Introduction:
Read the transcript…
Arlie Neskahi discusses the history of this Columbia River tribe and how tribes from the region and beyond all converged on the villages of the Wishram and the Wasco to trade, socialize and do ceremony.

Elder Wisdom:
Read the transcript…
Brian Bull shares the story of Adeline Miller who was “born up in the mountains during huckleberry time.” Now a tribal elder, she reminds her children and grandchildren of their origins through song, dance, and laughter.

Speaking Native:
Read the transcript…
Don Addison tell us that three native languages survive on this reservation today: Northern Paiute (also called Numu), Sahaptin (or Eecheeshkeen), and Wasco, known as Kiksht.

Sacred Landscape:
Read the transcript…
Judy Bluehorse Skelton talks about berries, including huckleberries, blackberries and raspberries, which burst with nutrition, and what the tribe is doing to ensure there will be plenty to pick in the future.

Tribal Rhythms:
Read the transcript…
Nico Wind introduces us to the music of the Warm Springs tribe presented by traditional singer, Carlos Calica, who is the keeper of the Art Mitchell drum. This drum belonged to his grandfather and is a drum Carlos sang on as a child.

Health and Healing:
Read the transcript…
Rose High Bear introduces us to Faye Waheneka who warns us to stay away from unhealthy food, including fry bread. Raised by her grandparents, she believes in using healthy traditional foods, such as edible roots, berries, deer meat, grouse, and salmon to manage her diabetes.

Artists Circle:
Read the transcript…
Bruce Crespin highlights the rediscovery of Wasco basketweaving by tribal artist, Pat Courtney Gold who is internationally recognized for the art of full-turn twining. She shares her travels across the country to visit museums with Wasco baskets in their collections and how she reconnected with a basket purchased by Lewis and Clark in 1805.

Turtle Island Storytellers:
Read the transcript…
Darlene Foster shares first contact stories she learned from her mother, who learned them from her grandmother. “They always told stories about how my ancestors knew before the pioneers came that they would come in. They would flow in like a river.”
INTRODUCTION

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is comprised of the Wasco, the Walla Walla (later called the Warm Springs) and the Paiute. Although these tribes are now grouped into a confederation, they each have a distinct culture and heritage.

HERE WILL BE A GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF ORIGINAL HOMELANDS. OBTAIN MAP FROM WARM SPRINGS REVIEW GROUP.

Over thousands of years, these tribes developed an extensive trade and economic network that revolved around many resources, especially the salmon from the Columbia River.

After the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1805, the way of life of these tribes changed. Trappers, traders, explorers and pioneers infiltrated the Columbia River area, ultimately leading to the Treaty of 1855 which set aside about 1/20th of the Wasco’s and Warm Springs’ original homeland as a “reservation.” In the late 1870s, 38 Paiute people were moved to the Warm Springs Reservation.

In 1937 these three tribes organized into a confederation.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

Why was trade an important factor in the lives of the Warm Springs people?

What information can be incorporated into social studies sessions?

What information is new (and amazing) about Oregon Indians?

Why is research important instead of using information that is available?

PREPARING TO TEACH THIS LESSON

Visit the suggested websites in the “References” section of this lesson plan.

A visit to a local museum that has an Indian section will also be a good background.

If possible, arrange a visit to the Warm Springs museum.

If you know someone who is a Warm Springs tribal member, invite that person to speak to the class.

Begin Lessons

 SUBJECT AREAS

  • Reading
  • Speaking
  • Listening
  • Writing
  • Research
  • Technology
  • Literature (both oral and written)

SKILLS

  • Communication
  • Research
  • Analysis
  • Problem solving
  • Grammar
  • Speech
  • Spelling
  • Word identification and interpretation
  • Mapping

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Have a basis of knowledge about the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
  • Learn more about writing reports and research papers
  • Be able to pronounce a variety of tribal names in a selected Indian language
  • Gain knowledge of geography of the area.